Nigerians warned to beware of Cancer risk due to bromate use in bread
Nigerians warned to beware of Cancer risk due to bromate use in bread
Bread, long regarded as a global dietary cornerstone, has found its place in households around the world, including Nigeria, where it remains a quick and affordable meal choice.
Combined with everything from spreads to seeds, it has been a symbol of sustenance for centuries. In fact, more than two millennia ago, Jesus himself urged his disciples to pray for their “daily bread” (Matt 6:11), underscoring its importance in everyday life.
Yet, despite its widespread consumption, bread has become a silent carrier of danger, thanks to the unethical practices of some bakers.
Researchers across Nigerian cities have uncovered alarming levels of potassium bromate and toxic heavy metals like arsenic, mercury, lead, chromium, and nickel in several popular bread brands.
The consumption of bread contaminated with these harmful substances poses serious long-term health risks, including kidney failure, cancer, and neurological disorders.
Potassium bromate, a chemical commonly used as a flour improver, is at the center of the controversy. While it enhances the texture and lightness of bread, it is also a potent carcinogen.
Prolonged exposure to potassium bromate can result in devastating health effects, including kidney damage and cancer.
Studies have revealed that bread samples from cities like Ado-Ekiti, Ile-Ife, Port Harcourt, Yobe, and Lagos contain dangerously high amounts of potassium bromate—far exceeding the acceptable limits set by global health organizations.
In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommend a daily intake limit of 0.02 mg per kg of potassium bromate in bread.
However, many Nigerian bread brands have shown levels well above 0.05 mg/kg, putting consumers at risk.
In response, Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has repeatedly warned bakers to stop using harmful substances like saccharin and bromate in bread production, threatening to shut down businesses that fail to comply.
However, the Professional Bakers Association of Nigeria (PBAN) has pushed back, calling for more robust action against rogue bakers who put profit over safety, arguing that their members produce safe and hygienic bread.
The use of potassium bromate in bread making has become widespread due to its low cost and effectiveness in improving dough quality.
It acts as an oxidizing agent during fermentation, modifying the gluten structure and resulting in a softer, lighter loaf. However, the benefits of using bromate come at a heavy price—one that could affect the health of millions.
Alongside potassium bromate, heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury have been found in bread products.
While trace amounts of certain metals are necessary for human health, excessive exposure can be harmful, causing cancer, developmental issues, kidney damage, and neurological disorders.
For example, prolonged exposure to cadmium can lead to lung cancer, kidney problems, and hypertension, while lead exposure can damage the nervous and immune systems, leading to developmental delays and even autism in children.
Bakers who continue to use these dangerous chemicals do so to meet demand quickly and cheaply.
Despite NAFDAC’s 2003 ban on potassium bromate in flour milling and baking, many bakers still use it to enhance the texture and volume of bread, knowing that its presence is not always detectable by consumers.
NAFDAC’s call to enforce regulations more strictly is critical, as failure to do so could result in further harm to public health.
While the agency has made efforts to curb the use of these harmful substances, the continued prevalence of toxic bread shows that more action is needed to protect consumers.
In the face of growing evidence of widespread contamination, it’s clear that the simple loaf of bread many Nigerians rely on daily has become more than just a source of sustenance—it’s a potential health hazard.
It’s time for consumers to demand safer, cleaner bread, and for authorities to ensure that bakeries operate within strict health and safety standards to safeguard public well-being.
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Tinubu mourns Abubakar’s passing, the Imam who shielded over 200 Christians in his mosque during communal riot
Tinubu mourns Abubakar’s passing, the Imam who shielded over 200 Christians in his mosque during communal riot
President Bola Tinubu has expressed deep sorrow over the death of Imam Abdullahi Abubakar, Chief Imam of Nghar village, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau, who passed away at 92.
This is contained in a statement issued by Presidential Spokesperson, Mr Bayo Onanuga, on Friday in Abuja.
The late cleric gained national and international recognition in 2018 for sheltering more than 200 Christians during communal violence in Plateau.
Tinubu described Abubakar as an extraordinary religious leader whose life exemplified faith, courage and a deep reverence for the sanctity of human life.
“At such a time when tribal and religious tendencies seemed to overwhelm reason, Imam Abubakar stood firmly on the side of peace, benevolence and conscience.
“Mindless of the enormous risk to his own life, the noble cleric chose humanity over division, love as opposed to hatred and embrace rather than rejection,” the President said.
He said the Imam’s actions embodied the true essence of faith and delivered a powerful message beyond sermons.
The President noted that the cleric’s uncommon bravery earned him local and international honours celebrating peaceful coexistence.
“I urge religious and community leaders to imbibe and preach the spirit of tolerance, mutual respect and peaceful togetherness as expounded in the life of Imam Abubakar,” Tinubu said.
He prayed that God grants the late Imam eternal rest and rewards him for his courage and good deeds. (NAN)
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Govt. introduces solar installation, garment making, GSM repairs in jss curriculum
Govt. introduces solar installation, garment making, GSM repairs in jss curriculum
The Anambra Government has introduced 15 entrepreneurial subjects into the Junior Secondary School (JSS) curriculum to enhance students’ practical skills and foster an entrepreneurial mindset.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the new subjects include solar installation, garment making, GSM repairs, agriculture and processing, plumbing, tiling, POP installation and event management.
Others are bakery, hairstyling, make-up, interior design, CCTV/intercom installation, digital literacy, information technology and robotics.
Prof. Nkechi Ikediugwu, Chairperson ,Post Primary Schools Service Commission (PPSSC), while speaking at the occasion in Awka on Friday, said the initiative was aimed at repositioning education to meet contemporary needs.
Ikediugwu noted that in a rapidly changing world, education should go beyond theory and examinations to equip students with practical skills, creativity, innovation and an entrepreneurial mindset.
“The goal of the programme is to prepare learners, not only to seek jobs but to create value, generate employment and contribute meaningfully to the economic development of the state,”she said.
Mr Cyril Nwuche of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, delivered a paper titled “Building Entrepreneurial Secondary Schools: Why Every School Needs an Entrepreneurship Club”.
Nwuche said the introduction of entrepreneurial subjects showed that the government was on the path to transforming the state’s economy.
“Traditional academic instruction alone is no longer sufficient to prepare children for the future.
“There is the need for schools to embrace practical and skill-based learning to enable students to thrive in a dynamic global environment, ” he said. (NAN)
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Two men docked for allegedly defiling underaged girl
Two men docked for allegedly defiling underaged girl
The police in Lagos on Friday, charged two men before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly defiling an 11- year-old girl.
The defendants are: Prince Tomnyie, 40, a businessman, who resides at Agege, and Micheal Adenuga, 24, a furniture maker, who resides at Atere Street in Lekki.
They are standing trial on charges of defilement, and had each pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecutor, ASP Adegoke Ademigbuji told the court that they committed the offence sometimes in December 2024, and September 2025, at Langbasa Ajah and Igbara Lekki, Lagos .
The prosecutor alleged that the victim’s father, had taken his daughter for medical check and it was discovered that the minor had been defiled.
The prosecution alleged that the victim had told her father that his friend, Tomnyie, defiled her sometimes ago.
Ademigbuji alleged that the victim also mentioned the second defendant’s name who lives in their neigbourhood.
The offence contravenes the provisons of section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2015.
The Chief Magistrate, Mr L. A Owolabi, granted the defendants bail in the sum of of N600,000 each, with two sureties each in like sum.
He adjourned the case until March 5, for mention. (NAN)
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